hoffmann



(No Model.)

A. W. HOFFMANN. CANDLE HOLDER.

No. mangimi.` Patented 1396.29, 1896.

Afro/mfr:

7 UNiTnDA STATESv APATENT ALFRED lV. HOFFMANN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGrNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EMIL R. HOFFMANN, OF SAME PLACE.

CANDLE-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,356, dated December 29, 1896. Application filed June 24, 1896. Serial No. 596,683. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ALFRED W. HOFFMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Christmas-Tree Candle-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved candle-holder for Christmas trees by which the ro candle can be placed with great facility in the required position on the limbs and twigs of the Christmas tree and firmly held in position on the drip-cup of the holder, so that it can be burned up even to the smallest remnant I 5 without dropping any remaining wick or shedding any portion of the liquid wax over the drip-cup, whereby danger of fire to the Christmas tree or the articles suspended on the same is avoided.

2o The invention consists of a Christmas-tree candle-holder which comprises a drip-cup provided with a flaring ange having radial recesses and corrugated spring-prongs above said drip-cup, said spring-prongs being passed 2 5 through the recesses in the ilange to the under side of the drip-cup and united into a twisted shank which terminates in diverging and corrugated jaws by which the candle-holder is applied to the limb of the Christmas tree, as will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a perspective view of the limb of a Christmas tree with my improved candle- 3 5 holder in position thereon. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the candle-holder, drawn on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a vertical central section of the candle-holder; and Fig. I is a horizontal section on line et 4, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the drip-cup of my improved Christmas-tree candle-holder, which cup is made of sheet metal or other suitable material and provided with a Haring circumferential iiange a, having four radial recesses a'. Below the cup A are arranged two corrugated spring-jaws B B, which are made of wire of suitable thickness. The o jaws B B are spread apart and formed with substantially straight portions h at their lower ends. The upper ends of the diverging jaws B B are twisted together, so as to form a shank O. Below the drip-cup each wire of the jaws le.. is bent outwardly at d in radial direction, 5 5 passed through the recessed flange a, and continued above in the form of transverselycorrugated spring-pron gs D, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. The corrugated jaws B B, the twisted shank C, the outwardly-extend- 6o ing arms d, and the corrugated spring-prongs D are formed of two integral U-shaped wires of suitable length, to which the proper shape is imparted by means of suitable dies, so that the drip-cup can be readily sprung into position between the four spring-prongs D at the upper end of the shank O and thereby the parts of the candle-holder readily assembled for use.

The corrugated spring-prongs D are con- 7o nected by an extensible wire ring e, which unites t-he four prongs andv which maybe extended so as to permit the insertion of various thicknesses of candles. The corrugated spring-prongs D and the extensible ring e form a socket for the lower end of the candle by which the latter is retained by each spring-prong at two or more points, one vertically below the other, so that the candle is supported in position even when burned to a 8o point near the drip-cup. The extensible ring c permits the tight hugging of Ithe candle by the sprin g-pron gs and forms at the same time a guard device for the end of the wick which remains after the candle is burned down, so 8 5 that this wick portion cannot drop over the drip-cup, but is retained in slightly-inclined position, so that every portion of the liquid wax collected on the drip-cup is consumed before the flame is extinguished. There is 9o therefore no danger to the adjacent part of the limbs of the tree or to theV articles suspended therefrom.

In addition to the safeguard obtained by the extensible ring and the upwardly-inclined flange of the drip-cup, whereby the drip of the candle is collected, the candle-holder has the advantage that the drip-cup is supported by the twisted shank at some distance above the limb of the tree and that the candle can be set with great facility into vertical position, whatever be the inclination of the limb or twig, as the latter is taken hold of by the corrugations of the jaws at various inclinations, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, so that the candle-holders can be applied with great facility in vertical position to any limb of the tree without requiring any counterbalaiming-weights or other accessories.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A Christmas-tree candle-holder, composed of a drip-cup, spring-jaws below said drip-cup, said jaws being twisted into a shank having radial arms, and sprin gpron gs extending from said radial arms above the drip-cup, substantially as set forth.

2. A Christmas-tree candle-holder, composed of a drip-cup, provided with a flaring iiange having recesses in its circumference, springprongs above the drip-cup, springjaws below the drip-cup provided with a shank, and radial arms connecting said shank below the drip-cup with the spring-prongs, substantially as set forth.

A Christmas-tree candle-holder, composed of a drip-cup having a flaring flange with radial recesses, corrugated spring-jaws below the drip-cup, said jaws being united into a twisted shank below the dri p-cup, ra-

dial arms extending from the shank through the recesses of the drip-cup, and corrugated spring-prongs above said drip-cup connected with said radial arms, substantially as set forth.

4. A Christmas-tree candle-holder, composed of a drip-cup having radial recesses in its circumference, corrugated spring-jaws arranged below the drip-cup and twisted together so as to form a shank below the dripcup, spring-prongs above the drip-cup, and radial arms connecting the twisted shank with the lower ends of said spring-prongs, said arms and spring-prongs being integral with the jaws, substantially as set forth.

5. In a candle-holder, the combination of a drip-cup, transversely-corrugated prongs extending upwardly froln the drip-cup, and an extensible wire guard-ring located in one of the lower corrugations of each prong so as to retain the remaining portion of the nearlyconsumed wick, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED TV. HOFFMANN. lVitnesses:

PAUL GOEPEL, GEO. W. JAEKEL. 

